The invention relates to a cutting and splitting de- vice defined in the preamble of claim 1.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are two basic structures of cutting and splitting devices. In the first structure, a log is sawn through and the piece obtained is pushed through a splitting blade in a separate work stage. This way, the split pieces are surely separated from each other. In the second structure, the log is sliced or shorn through, and the shearing blade is also provided with a wedge that, substantially in the same work stage with cutting, splits the log from the cutting point. However, in this solution the piece of log is not often entirely split into separate pieces, but the pieces remain attached to each other at one end or at a branch site.

The prior art in the field of the invention is also disclosed in publication EP0890421, wherein cutting is carried out by shearing and the final splitting by a separate pushing movement through a splitting blade. Already in connection with cutting there is another splitting blade, splitting the thicker logs in another direction so that they can be split into four parts. It describes the splitting of the piece of log only in a schematic way, but clearly problems arise from the control of the piece of log after cutting, when the partially split log should be directed in a correct position to the final splitting blade. OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION The objective of the invention is to remedy the above- mentioned defects of the prior art. Specifically, the objective of the invention is to disclose a new cutting and splitting device wherein the shearing-type cutting and subsequent splitting of a log are provided as a functional, fast and automatically functioning joint operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cutting and splitting machine according to the invention, in its first embodiment, comprises a frame and a substantially vertical feed channel supported to the frame. At the upper end of the feed channel there is a feed opening for feeding a log being processed into the cutting and splitting device. At the lower end of the feed channel, moving in the transverse direction in relation thereto, there is a cutting blade with a power unit and a splitting blade for splitting the cut piece of log. The cutting blade and the split- ting blade form a jointly movable assembly. In addition, the cutting and splitting device comprises, below the cutting blade, a fixed stopper against which the splitting blade is arranged to press the cut piece of log for splitting it. As suitable side support ele- ments are further provided on the sides of the splitting operation at a suitable distance therefrom, forcing the movement of the parts of the split log only in certain direction, the parts of the log being split always pass through the blade from both sides to ac- complish a reliable and complete splitting.

In a second embodiment of the invention, the moving and fixed parts have switched positions, and the cutting and splitting device thus comprises a frame, a substantially vertical feed channel supported to the frame and having a feed opening at the upper end for feeding a log being processed into the cutting and splitting device, at the lower end of the feed channel a cutting blade, a power unit and a splitting blade for splitting the cut piece of log. According to the invention, the cutting blade and the splitting blade form a fixed assembly and the cutting and splitting device comprises, below the cutting blade, a stopper supported to the frame in a fixed manner in relation thereto. In this case, the assembly formed by the frame, the feed channel and the stopper is arranged to be reciprocated by means of the power unit in such a way that a log being processed is pressed by means of them against the stationary cutting blade and split- ting blade to prepare firewood from the log. In this description, the invention and its different structural solutions will be described below in connection with the first embodiment explained above, but it is to be noted that these structural solutions are also applicable to this second embodiment as well.

Preferably, the cutting blade and the splitting blade are plate-type structures provided with a shearing- type cutting or splitting edge and are perpendicular to each other. This way, the cut piece of log does not need to be turned after cutting and before splitting, but the piece is split in the same position immediately after cutting. In other words, the splitting blade is pushed in the invention from the side into the cut piece of log throughout its length, the whole piece thus passing vertically through the vertical blade to be surely divided into two separate pieces.

Preferably, the shearing-type cutting edge of the cut- ting blade is disposed, in the direction of movement of the blades, before the shearing-type splitting edge of the splitting blade so that at least part of the cutting of a log is carried out before the splitting blade penetrates into the piece of log. This reduces the instantaneous power requirement in cutting and splitting. However, it is also possible that the cutting blade and the splitting blade are disposed in the same vertical plane so that cutting and splitting are carried out concurrently. However, the shearing-type splitting edge of the splitting blade is preferably disposed, in the direction of movement of the blades, at such a distance after the cutting blade that the splitting blade penetrates into the piece of log before it is entirely cut from the log. This way, the piece of log being processed is under precise control all the time. In other words, before final detachment from the rest of the log, the piece is attached to the log and disposed in its place in a vertical position, and when detachment takes place it is already attached to the splitting blade and disposed between the splitting blade and the fixed stopper. This way, the piece of log is not able to move freely during the process and thus may not be caught in a transverse or other wrong position, as is often the case when the cut piece of log is dropped into separate splitting.

A length stopper is suitably provided below the fixed stopper and the path of movement of the splitting blade for receiving a log that falls down along the feed channel and for determining the length of the piece being cut therefrom.

Since cutting and splitting are carried out in an ac- curate, precise and controlled manner, only finished firewood is able to drop out of the device after pass- ing the splitting blade. Accordingly, the split pieces of log, i.e. the finished firewood, are guided, by means of the side support elements provided on the sides of the fixed stopper and the splitting blade, to exit at a sufficient distance behind the splitting blade and are thus not able to pile around and under the device in a sideward direction from the scope of operation of the blades. In other words, the present structure forces, after splitting, the firewood to move past the splitting blade from both sides of the splitting blade, i.e. to the other side thereof.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cutting blade, the splitting blade, the length stopper and the side support elements form a fixed and jointly movable assembly, a splitting chamber. Inside the splitting chamber, the cut piece of log is pressed against the fixed stopper so that the piece of log is forced through the splitting blade and out of the splitting chamber. Preferably, the splitting chamber is so shaped that it becomes wider in cross-section in the direction of movement of the vertically moving pieces of log. Thus, the side support elements are suitably not completely parallel, but their spacing increases from the log cutting point towards the splitting point. In the same way, the distance of the bottom of the splitting chamber, i.e. the length stopper, suitably increases relative to the ceiling of the splitting chamber, i.e. the cutting blade. This en- sures that the firewood is able to move relatively freely and easily past the splitting blade in the splitting chamber and out of the chamber.

The distance of the length stopper from the cutting blade, i.e. the height of the splitting chamber, determines the length of the firewood being prepared. To be able to adjust the length of the firewood, it is necessary to have an adjustment that can be implemented in two different ways. Firstly, the adjustment can comprise adjustment elements for adjusting the dis- tance of the length stopper from the cutting blade. However, this may be difficult to implement, at least when one single-unit splitting chamber is used. Secondly, the adjustment can be implemented by one or more adjustment pieces that can be placed on top of the length stopper to limit the length of movement of the log past the cutting blade. The adjustment piece can be a plate or a plate pack that covers the entire bottom of the splitting chamber for adjusting the height of the chamber as desired.

ADVANTAGES PROVIDED BY THE INVENTION

The cutting and splitting device structure according to the invention has considerable advantages over the prior art. The invention combines a slicing-type, i.e. shearing-type, log cutting and complete splitting of the piece as it is pushed through the splitting blade. As these are carried out concurrently with one and the same power unit, i.e. hydraulic cylinder, the cutting and splitting device can be made compact, light, reli- able and affordable in manufacturing costs. Furthermore, the cutting and splitting device can be used without having to touch the logs by hand due to the gravitational feeding of logs. By a cutting and splitting device mounted to a front-end loader, the logs can be picked one by one directly into the horizontally turned feed channel, the feed channel raised vertically and the movement of the blades started. Not even conveyors are needed when using a front-end loader with a sufficient span; instead, the cutting and splitting device can be lifted for example onto the tractor bed and the log chopped directly onto the bed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 illustrates a partially sectional view of one cutting and splitting device according to the invention in a first operating position and

Fig. 2 illustrates the cutting and splitting device of Fig. 1 in a second operating position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 and 2 illustrate in a simplified manner a partially sectional view of one cutting and splitting de- vice according to the invention, presenting its essential parts only. The cutting and splitting device comprises a frame 1 supporting a feed channel 2, through a feed opening 3 at the upper end of which the logs being processed can be fed into the cutting and split- ting device. The frame can be for example one that stands in its place on the ground on suitable legs, but preferably the frame comprises lugs or suchlike fasteners by means of which it can be locked for example to a front-end loader of a tractor or the like. This way, the cutting and splitting device can be lifted and moved and also the feed channel thereof tilted for example so that, when tilted horizontally, a log can be taken into the feed channel directly from a pile of logs without having to touch it by hand and raised vertically, the logs thus not requiring any manual handling when made into firewood.

At the bottom end of the feed channel 2, moving in the transverse direction in relation thereto, there is a plate-type cutting blade 4. The cutting blade 4 is reciprocated by a power unit 5, i.e. a hydraulic cylin- der, supported to the frame of the cutting and splitting device.

The cutting blade 4 is supported to the frame 1 between two support plates 13 so that the front edges of the support plates 13 constitute support surfaces 14 to which a log is supported as the cutting blade penetrates through the log and between the support plates 13. The support surfaces 14 are straight in the figures, but are preferably curved or V-shaped in the sideward direction so that, as the cutting blade presses a log against them, the surfaces center the log to the center of the splitting chamber, i.e. to the center of the splitting blade.

Mounted to the lower surface of the cutting blade 4 so as to extend perpendicularly down therefrom is a plate-type splitting blade 6, the shearing-type split- ting edge 9 of which points in the same direction as the shearing-type cutting edge 8 of the splitting blade 4. The splitting blade 6 is mounted at the lower end to a length stopper 10, i.e. a bottom plate. Furthermore, the side edges of the bottom plate and the side edges of the cutting blade 4 are connected to each other with side support elements 11, i.e. side plates. Thus, the splitting blade 4, the side support elements 11 and the length stopper 10 form a substantially rectangular box, i.e. a splitting chamber 12, at the center of which there is the vertical splitting blade 6.

The front edge, i.e. the splitting edge 9, of the splitting blade 6 is straight but somewhat slanted relative to the vertical so that, as it moves forward in the splitting direction, the upper part of the splitting edge first meets the piece of log being split. Thus, the log being split first splits from one end, which normally splits the whole log already. This way, the splitting force required is smaller both as to magnitude and duration relative to the splitting being carried out at the same time over the whole length of the log. Inside the splitting chamber 12 but supported to the frame 1 of the device, a vertical plate-type fixed stopper 7 is provided. Thus, the splitting chamber 12 can reciprocate by means of the power unit 5 while the stopper 7 is stationary.

More specifically, the cutting plate of the cutting blade 4 is formed by a rectangular long plate that is coupled to a hydraulic cylinder 5 at one end. In the plate there is an opening 15, the edge at one end of which constitutes a straight cutting edge 8. The opposite edge 16 of the opening is provided at such a distance from the cutting edge 8 that a gap corresponding at least to the width of the feed channel is arranged therebetween. This way, as the plate is positioned correctly relative to the feed channel, it does not constitute an obstacle to the falling of a log through the opening 15. The lower end of the feed channel can also be provided with slanted guide surfaces, ensuring that a log being fed is not able to hit any obstacle but slides freely towards the bottom of the splitting chamber. In the same way, the upper end of the feed channel can be provided with funnel-type structures by means of which the positioning of a log in the channel becomes easier. The opposite edge 16 is formed vertically straight-edged, i.e. not sharpened, and in the transverse direction in a slight V-shape pointing inwards to the plate. This way, the edge 16 constitutes a waste material plowing edge, keeping the gap between the support plates 13 clear of waste material caught therein each time the cutting edge 8 penetrates through a log between the support plates 13.

The cutting and splitting device according to the in- vention is specifically purposed for use with compact loader and tractor front-end lifting devices receiving hydraulic pressure from the hydraulics of the working machine. The cutting and splitting device comprises only one power unit, a hydraulic cylinder, just for continuously moving the cutting and splitting blade structure in a reciprocating manner. No other active operations are required of the device because the log is fed substantially vertically in the downward direction through gravity and the finished firewood can be removed for example directly to a trailer or storage. Yet, there is no obstacle to using a separate belt conveyor or one suitably coupled to the cutting and splitting device to move the firewood. The cutting and splitting device is used in the following way. If the cutting and splitting device is mounted for example to a compact loader, the feed channel 2 is turned forward in a horizontal position and pushed around one log in a pile of logs so that the log extends into the feed channel to some degree, but not necessarily up to the length stopper 10. Then, the device is raised to a vertical position with the log, the log thus dropping onto the bottom of the splitting chamber 12, i.e. against the length stopper 10. If the firewood is not made next to the pile of logs, the machine is driven to a desired place with the log upright and the cutting and splitting device is started. The cutting blade 4 then penetrates through the log so as to cut it and right after this the splitting blade disposed in the longitudinal direction of the log presses the piece of log against the fixed stopper 7, splitting it at least partially. When the blades retract, they are also accompanied by the length stopper 10 and the side support surfaces 11, i.e. the whole splitting chamber 12. Consequently, the partially split piece stuck to the blade 6 moves backwards with the blades, the log being thus able to drop down after the blade 4 has retracted. The next stroke then cuts again a new piece of log and, as the splitting blade pushes the new piece against the fixed stopper, the previous already partially split piece splits completely and is forced backwards from both sides of the splitting blade 6 and out of the device. Thus, the cutting and splitting device does not need any other control apart from the control for the auto- matic reciprocation by the hydraulic cylinder 5, as the device is not running when a log is taken and moved, and is only started at a desired location.

If the device is used with manual feeding, it can be kept in the vertical or horizontal position and running all the time. In the vertical position, i.e. as the feed opening of the feed channel is pointing upwards, logs can be lifted into the feed channel as a continuous successive flow. When used this way, the output of the cutting and splitting device is so high that a belt conveyor is almost essential for moving the firewood into a pile farther away. Especially when larger and heavier logs are fed manually, the feed channel should be kept horizontal, in which case the log is always pushed manually against the length stopper after the shearing blade has retracted to the back position.

The invention has been described above by way of exam- pie with reference to the accompanying drawings without in any way limiting the invention only to the structures described above. Different embodiments of the invention are possible within the scope defined by the claims.